Step It Up is just the first step in what must be a sustained movement. This movement continues after our National Day of Climate Action on April 14th. Now that we have banded together in our communities, we are poised to keep the pressure on to come up with solutions to the climate crisis.
You’ll be hearing from us a bit less over the next few weeks, but rest assured we’re not going to disappear. The movement is taking off. So be creative, talk, plan, and take action with the communities that came together for April 14. We’re all united, let’s keep it going…
For individuals and communities of all sizes, here are ten of the next steps for the National Climate Movement:
Become a Climate Voter - Our friends at ClimateVoters.org are asking voters to pledge to make climate change a priority in the 2008 elections. They are collecting pledges on their website, so head over their to add your name and make it clear to candidates that if they're not taking the lead on fighting climate change, they're not going to get elected. Simple, right?
Put Congresspeople on the Hotseat - Greenpeace’s grassroots national campaign that is turning up the heat on Congress to stop global warming. Beginning in June, Project Hot Seat activists and organizers will be working from coast to coast to push Members of Congress and candidates running for Congress to support and pass bold solutions to Global Warming. From an 80% reduction in global warming pollution, to strong investments in renewable energy, and more fuel efficient automobiles, only the US Congress can provide the solutions required to tackle global warming. Visit www.projecthotseat.org to join and learn how to put your Member of Congress on the Hot Seat!
Host a Live Earth Party- 7/7/07 - Al Gore, the hardest working man in climate activism, is putting together 7 concerts on 7 continents on 7/7/07. Billed as "Live Earth - Save Our Selves (S.O.S.)", these star-studded concerts aim to raise awareness of the climate crisis by broadcasting the concerts to every corner of the globe. In conjunction with the Alliance For Climate Protection, this day of music and action promises to usher in a new era of climate activism. You can join the effort by hosting a solidarity event on July 7. Folks all over will be gathering together for parties to discuss plans to take on global warming and view the concerts together on TV.
Climate Summer - A summer-long campaign to elevate real solutions to global warming and build demand for bold and comprehensive national action that will transform the way America produces and consumes energy. After ten weeks of citizen outreach, presentations, and community meetings in Iowa and New Hampshire, youth organizers will march with thousands of citizens from Ames to Des Moines, Iowa, Nashua to Concord, New Hampshire, and Georgetown to Charleston, South Carolina. The culminating rallies on August 4th will be a nationwide call for what is needed and what is possible - 80% cuts in carbon by 2050, starting right now with 2% reductions a year.
Focus The Nation - Focus the Nation is coordinating a national teach-in on “Global Warming Solutions for America.” Focus the Nation will culminate January 31, 2008, in the form of national symposia held simultaneously at over a thousand colleges, universities, K-12 schools, places of worship, civic organizations and businesses across the country. More than just education, Focus the Nation is about civic engagement. Teams will each end their events in the same way—in a non-partisan roundtable with political officials and decision-makers. Every US senator, congressperson, mayor, state representative and city councilor will be getting multiple invitations to sit down with young people and have a conversation about their future. Join us.
Campus Climate Challenge - The Campus Climate Challenge is a project of more than 30 leading youth organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. The Challenge unites young people to organize on college campuses and high schools to win 100% Clean Energy policies at their schools. You can read dispatches from the global youth climate movement at the Its Getting Hot In Here blog.
Cool Cities - Is your city a "Cool City"? The Sierra Club Cool Cities campaign provides tools and an online community to support grassroots efforts to get more cities signed onto the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement. Signing the agreement shows a city's commitment to stopping global warming, then Cool Cities organizers work with leaders to turn that commitment into action by pushing for smart energy solutions. Find out if your city is a Cool City, and if it is, join the activist team that's helping it meet its goals. And if it's not a Cool City, sign up to start the campaign!
